The present invention relates to roofing shingles and more particularly to self-aligning and laminated shingles.
The application of roofing shingles is a labor intensive process. Each shingle has to be placed into position individually, aligned above the underlying course, and then fastened to the roof deck. Constant inspection and possible realigning is necessary in order to make sure that the shingles are situated and aligned properly. Also, laminated shingles, that is shingles having two or three layers laminated together are popular today. The aesthetics of having a thicker roofing material has resulted in a significant demand for this type of roofing system. However, laminated shingles are expensive and thus out of reach for a significant number of consumers. Thus, there is a need for roofing shingles which can be placed in position and aligned more easily and more quickly. There also is a need for a roofing system that has a laminated xe2x80x9clookxe2x80x9d to it without the additional cost of an actual fully laminated or thicker roofing material.
The present invention provides self-aligning shingles which are easier and faster to install and result in automatically straight rows. The shingles have an alignment strip on the bottom surface that is situated to nest against the top edge of the course immediately below. With the self-aligning shingles, each shingle is slid down over the course below until it comes to a stop when the alignment strip engages the shingle below. This results in a roof installed with the correct exposure dimensions and straight, even courses. The invention also eliminates the need for the installer to slide the shingles up and down in order to achieve a visual alignment. Once the shingles are in place, the alignment strip holds the shingles in the correct position until they are fastened. This is especially helpful on steeper slopes.
Another embodiment of the invention utilizes two alignment strips, one on the bottom surface and one on the top surface. During installation, the bottom strips of the overlying shingles in an upper course nest against the top strips on the shingles in the course below. When the alignment strips engage during installation, the bottom edge of each course reveals an extra layer of increased thickness. The resulting roof thus has a tri-laminate look with deep natural shadow lines. It has the appearance of being thicker and more massive than a roof with standard shingles. In addition, the roof automatically has appropriate exposure dimensions and straight and even courses.
It is an object of the present invention to provide shingles which are easier to align and install than present shingles. It is another object of the present invention to provide self-aligning shingles.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shingle system which gives the appearance of a tri-laminate shingle system. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a shingle system which gives the appearance of a tri-laminate shingle system and also has self-aligning shingles which are easier to install and align.
These and other objects, purposes, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention when taken in view of the attached drawings and appended claims.